Ufh and pouring of screed

[Barryscotland]

Our screed is getting poured next Friday and the plumber laid the ufh pipes yesterday, as he was leaving he said he’d be back after the screed was poured. The pipes are open at both ends at the manifold with no water in them, am I wrong in thinking they should be filled before screed is poured to lower the chance of them floating? Also presuming he should of pressure tested them for leaks before they are buried in screed, would this of been done with air hence no water in pipes?

[JohnMo]

This what Uponor instructions state

 

• Pump up the pressure in the manifold to 2 x the operating pressure (minimum 4 bar, maximum 6 bar) for at least 1 hour. After an initial slight drop in pressure as the pipes expand, there should be no further drop in pressure. Check the pressure gauge during this period to ensure that the pressure remains constant under this period.
• Decrease the pressure to the system working pressure, or a minimum of 2 bar. The system pressure will initially increase as the pipes contract under the lower pressures and will then stabilise. If the pressure has not fallen below working pressure after 1 hour the system is pressure tight.
• Uponor recommends that the system should remain under 
pressure whilst the floor is laid so that if any damage occurs to the pipe, the laying of the floor can be stopped 
and the damage repaired immediately. The floor should be laid immediately after the pressure test.
• Where there is a danger of freezing, suitable measures such as the use of glycol-based antifreeze should be taken, using the correct mixture of water and antifreeze solution. However, before start up, the glycol mixture should be thoroughly flushed out of the system and disposed of carefully.

 

Any reason the manifold cannot be installed?

 

Assume the pipes are stapled or fixed down to the insulation.

 

The pipes held unpressurized are liable to be being crushed as the screed contractors walk all over the pipes.

[Barryscotland]

1 hour ago, JohnMo said:

 

 

Any reason the manifold cannot be installed?

 

Assume the pipes are stapled or fixed down to the insulation.

 

The pipes held unpressurized are liable to be being crushed as the screed contractors walk all over the pipes.

They have the top and bottom part of the manifold on but no valves or gauges etc. This may be because there is no plasterboard up yet and manifold is temp fitted to a piece of wood across the partition, pipes are stapled to the insulation. I think im going to give them a phone and ask them to come out and fill and pressurize before the screed is poured

[Russell griffiths]

How are they going to float? Are they not clipped down. 

I see loads that are not pressure tested, never Seen a leak yet. 

Unless your screener hits them with a shovel the likely hood of making a hole in the pipe is zero. 

The likely hood of a pipe coming from the factory with a hole is zero. 

[RHayes]

@Russell griffiths agreed that the likely hood is low, but not zero.  Nothing is impossible and in my book it is very bad practice not to leave the system under at least working pressure if not 2x working pressure.  Screeders, other trades anything could happen to those pipes and they should be pressuretested and left like that until finaly flushed and filled for operation.

 

Pipes can float if pressure tested with air (or don't have water in them) if it is a flow screed, however providing you have clips that have a good hold of the insulation at least every 300mm i expect it to be okay.